Plymouth County hosts 22nd annual DARE camp

Friday

Aug 5, 2016 at 6:00 AMAug 5, 2016 at 5:48 PM

Last week, the county held its 22nd annual Drug and Alcohol Resistance Education Camp at Whitman-Hanson Regional High School, educating 10 to 12 year olds with the help of presentations, games and more.

By Matthew TonisCorrespondent

For over two decades, Plymouth County town officials have come together every summer to help its children understand risks and take responsibility for their actions, especially when it comes to the usage of drugs and alcohol.

Last week, the county held its 22nd annual Drug and Alcohol Resistance Education Camp at Whitman-Hanson Regional High School, educating 10 to 12 year olds with the help of presentations, games and more.

Approximately 500 fifth and sixth graders from across southeastern Massachusetts were nominated by their teachers to attend the week-long camp. Attendees were taught responsibility and the importance of being your own person by student resource officers at their respective schools.

Kids were split up into teams consisting of students from different towns, making them interact with other people they don’t know.

For Esabella DeFilippo, a camper from Rockland, that was a great experience.

“It’s cool how you get to meet people you’ve never met before from all different towns,” DeFilippo said. “I’ve already made some friends.”

Those teams then competed in field day-style events, such as the 50-yard dash and tug of war, in which campers competed for medals.

Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz, who has been in office for 14 of the 22 years of the program, said this week is one of the highlights of his job.

“In my job, unfortunately, we’re not always in the happiest of situations,” Cruz said. “This is an opportunity to help our kids, some of whom may be at risk, and help them turn their lives around.”

With more opportunities than ever for kids to get information and access, both good and bad, Cruz said it’s important to make kids aware as early as possible what issues may arise in their life and how to deal with them.

“Our kids nowadays face an incredible challenge in everything that they do,” Cruz said. “The challenges that are out there, whether it be on the internet, in the real world or just walking down the street, we have a responsibility to try to get in front of those problems and this is just one of the strategies to help this group of kids.”

One of the signature events of the week was on Tuesday, when two pilots and Whitman-Hanson High School graduatesbrought a Black Hawk helicopter to the field in front of the high school.

Chief Warrant Officer 3sScott Landis and Anthony Celia were the pilots who landed the helicopter in front of the school. While neither attended the camp, both said they enjoy community outreach and education people about a machine many fear.

“A lot of people look at this as a war machine, Landis said. “But at peace time, when we’re here in the United States, it’s just a bunch of young guys flying around.”

While at the high school, Cruz and Plymouth County Sheriff Joseph McDonald presented CW3s Landis and Celia with letters of recognition for their service to their country and community.

Cruz said he believes the kids seeing people that grew up in the area achieve great things will inspire them.

“It’s an opportunity to show the kids you can really do what you want and you can expand your horizons,” Cruz said. “If you come from a small town in Plymouth County, you can do whatever you want to do.